Comfort
by MissyMo2005
Summary: What if it had been Jay at Erin's door instead of Severide at the end of "8.30pm"? They'd both had a tough day and were just in need of a little comfort.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hey guys, this is just a little something I've had floating around in my head for a while now. What if it had been Halstead and Erin's door at the end of "8.30pm" instead of Severide. Let me know what you think._

* * *

She was exhausted by the time she got home that night, it had been one of the longest days of her career. She still couldn't quite believe someone would set off a bomb at a hospital, specifically to target emergency services. She'd dealt with some ungrateful people during her time as a cop but this was just a whole new level. She leant back against the cool metal of the fridge, taking a sip of the beer in her hand. It was silent in her apartment, the only sound was the clock ticking. She hadn't turned on the tv, figuring the only thing that would be on would be coverage of the explosion. She'd been living that nightmare all day, she sure as hell didn't need to watch it on the news all night. She'd just have a few beers and then go to bed, praying that she wouldn't be haunted by the images of what she'd seen that day.

She was still standing in her kitchen, leaning against the fridge when there was a knock at her front door. She rolled her eyes a little, setting the beer down on the counter. She really wasn't sure she was in the mood for company, besides she had no idea who it was going to be. She'd had a text an hour earlier from Kelly to say he was staying at the hospital with Shay. She walked slowly across to the door, her muscles aching from the activities of the day. Erin unlocked the door, peering around it to work out who it was. A small smile played on her lips as she saw her partner leaning against the wall on the other side of her door.

"Hey." He said, giving her a small smile. "I probably should've called, I just..." He continued, trailing off as she shook her head. "No, it's fine- come in. I know what you mean. Today was just... Well..." She said, shaking her head again as he followed her through her apartment. She walked over to the fridge, passing him a beer that he gratefully accepted. They sat down on her sofa quietly, neither of them knowing what to say. Jay wasn't really sure why he'd ended up at her apartment, it's just where his legs had carried him. It was a force of habit he'd guessed, to have a beer with Lindsay after a rough day at work. He'd just been hoping Severide wasn't going to be there with her. He was trying to accept that she'd found someone, but it was still difficult and he didn't need it rubbed in his face.

It was Erin that spoke first, stretching her legs out on the sofa and looking up at him. "I just can't believe that today even happened..." She said quietly and he met her eyes. He still couldn't really believe it either, there was so much that could have gone wrong that day, it was a miracle that they'd gotten out of there unhurt. He shuddered slightly at the thought of that guy with a knife pressed up against Erin's neck. He'd been ready to shoot the guy there and then, and he would have done without hesitation if he could have guaranteed he wouldn't hit Erin. As if she could read his mind Erin's hand came up and her fingers slowly brushed across the angry red mark on her pale skin.

"It's crazy, all of it... I have to say though, I actually thought Voight was going to throw him off the roof." Jay said, looking at her questioningly. She knew he was trying to work out if she thought that Voight would actually have done it, since she knew him better than anyone else. "There's never any way to tell with Voight." She said, giving him a small but knowing smile. He still hadn't really got any clarification about Voight, then again he didn't think he ever would. He looked at his partner, who was staring at him. He wanted to reach over and take her hand, to put his arms around her, to hold her until it felt like everything was going to be ok again. He couldn't though, she was with another man. He had to remember that.

He was trying to remind himself of that as Erin leant her head against his shoulder, taking another sip of her beer. "I was glad you had my back today." She said quietly, and he could feel her smiling next to him. "Likewise." He replied, looking down at his partner. He suddenly became aware of just how close they'd become in the time they'd been sat next to her. He could feel her breath on his face as they looked at each other, his heart accelerating. He needed to get a grip before he did something he shouldn't.

They sat there, each looking at the other intently. Slowly, Erin raised her hand up and brushed her fingers over the stubble on his chin. She shouldn't be doing it, she knew that but she was powerless to stop herself. Likewise, Jay knew he should be stopping this but he couldn't bring himself to. He sat there, motionless as her fingers gently brushed over his skin and she inched closer to him. Her fingers trailed around and in to his hair as she leant towards him, pressing her lips to his. He could taste the alcohol on her lips, her fingers knotting gently in to his hair. She smiled slightly against his lips, feeling his stubble scratching gently against her skin. She felt his tongue slide gently over her lips, causing them to part as his hands moved around her waist.

He reluctantly pulled away, reminding himself they couldn't do this. She was with Kelly Severide, and he didn't want to be a stupid mistake that she regretted the morning after. He looked at her questioningly, their faces still only inches apart. "Erin... I..." He didn't know what to say to her. It had taken every little bit of willpower her had to stop, how many times had he imagined this moment? "Jay... Please?" She whispered, and there was something about the vulnerability in her voice that caught him off guard. He was used to her shutting everyone out, but tonight she seemed so different, so vulnerable.

She took his silence as permission to continue, leaning forward again and pressing her lips back towards his. His lips remained still against hers to begin with, then he lost the will to resist her. His hands sliding back around her waist, his fingers in her hair. The taste of her on his lips driving him insane as his hands roamed over her body, sliding underneath her clothes. He felt her shiver as his hands grazed the newly exposed skin above her jeans. He smiled against her skin, kissing his way down her neck as she slowly undid the buttons on his shirt. He slowly stood up from the sofa, pulling her up with him. They didn't move more than an inch away from each other as they clumsily made their way back to her bedroom, discarding their clothes in the process. As they fell backwards on to the bed Jay pulled back slightly, his eyes meeting her own. She could tell he was questioning her, making sure she wasn't going to regret this. She'd never been so sure about anything in her life, and that frightened her slightly. She took a deep breath before opening her mouth. "I just have once request." She whispered, her breath dancing across his skin. "Name it." He replied, giving her a small smile. "Stay the night. After today I..." She started, trailing off as he took in her expression. "I'm not going anywhere." He whispered back to her, leaning back towards her. She smiled as his lips met her own, she knew they shouldn't do this- she wasn't stupid. But at that moment in time it felt so right, she found it hard to believe it could possibly be wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Hey guys, I had originally planned to leave this as a one shot, but since you all asked so nicely I've added another part to it (It's much more fun to do this than all the school work I should be doing haha!) Enjoy and let me know what you think._

It confused her slightly when she woke up during the night to find someone else in her bed, his warm body pressed up against her own and his arm draped across her waist. She laid there for a few minutes, listening to the sound of him breathing trying to decide if what had happened was a mistake or not. She looked over at the clock that hung on the wall, it was 5am. They hadn't got to go to work that day though thankfully, Voight had told them to take a couple of days. She didn't usually like having time of work but this time she was glad, she'd never be able to erase what she'd seen yesterday from her mind, even if her partner had done a pretty good job of making her forget all about it.

She hadn't been awake long when she felt him start to stir slightly next to her. She wasn't sure if she was ready for him to wake up, that meant they were going to have to face the consequences of what they'd done last night. It felt like as long as they stayed in bed they were in their own little bubble, like nothing that was going on in the outside world could affect them. She was going to have to deal with the fact she'd slept with her partner at some point, she knew that. She just wanted to wait as long as possible before she did.

Erin took another look at her sleeping partner before stretching out to take her phone off the bedside table. She had a text from Voight, making sure she was ok. Then she felt her guilt at last nights actions escalate further as she read a text from Kelly. He was apologising for not being there for her and promising he'd make it up to her some how. She groaned internally as she read it. How had she ended up being that person? The one who slept with her partner, the partner she'd promised Kelly there was nothing going on with, while he was at his injured friends bedside. 'Way to go Erin!' She thought to herself, but she still wasn't entirely sure she regretted what had happened last night.

Jay woke up just as she placed her phone back on the table, his fingers subconsciously tightening around her waist as he did. She could see the confusion flicker across his face as he looked around the room, the disorientation of waking up in a bed that wasn't his. Then he rolled to face her, giving her a small smile. "Hey..." He whispered, gently pressing his lips to the exposed skin on her shoulder. The sensation of his stubble scratching across her skin made her shudder slightly, bringing back the memories of the night before. "Morning..." She whispered back to him, resting her head gently on his chest.

He didn't say anything to begin with, but she could practically hear him thinking as they laid there in silence. She just knew him too well. She opted to keep quiet though, just listening to the sound of his breathing as his fingers trailed lightly across her bare skin, making her shiver slightly. They both knew they were going to have an awkward conversation at some point, but it wasn't one either of them particularly wanted to have. She knew Jay was just trying to find the words to say it, the words she hadn't been able to find.

Her stomach rumbling quietly made them both laugh quietly, breaking the tension in the room. She pulled away from him slightly, rolling on to her front and pulling the sheets up around her. She knew she was being silly, it wasn't like he hadn't seen it all last night but somehow it all seemed different in daylight. He looked at her as she rested her head on her hands, the same questioning look he'd given her last night. She could feel her stomach starting to knot slightly as she thought about it.

For the first time in the entire time she'd known him Erin had nothing to say to him at all. She just couldn't find a way to put in to words the feelings that were rushing around in her head. She just kept coming back to one thing. Kelly. What was she supposed to say to him? She just couldn't even think about how this would break his heart. He'd been amazing, and it still made her smile to think about the way he'd turned up at her doorstep with the grenade he'd stolen from her desk. But then she looked up at her partner who was still just laying there looking at her. He knew more about her than Kelly would ever know, she only had to look at him for him to know exactly what she was thinking.

"Stop worrying." He said quietly, snapping her out of her thoughts. She frowned at him slightly, wondering what he was meaning. "You've got that little crease in your forehead you get when you're worrying." He laughed, reaching up and gently smoothing the skin on her forehead. She smiled slightly at his touch, feeling his lips on her forehead. It was only adding to her mixed emotions how right it felt to be laying in bed with Jay like that, how on earth was she supposed to decide what to do?

She couldn't help but laugh as Jay's fingers brushed over a ticklish spot on her stomach, making him smile down at her. She reached up and put a hand behind his head, gently pulling his lips down to her own. She smiled against his lips, feeling him deepen the kiss as her hands found their way in to his hair. She let out a little giggle as he flipped them over suddenly, making him laugh too. As he pulled back from her slightly, she looked up at him and met him eyes. They both smiled at each other. She tipped her head back as his lips moved to her neck. This wasn't doing anything to help with her indecision. She knew things with Jay would be far more complicated than they would with Kelly, and there was no way on earth Voight would approve- but she was starting to wonder if it was worth it for this.


	3. Chapter 3

Erin couldn't help the apprehension she felt as she walked in to work two days later. Jay had left abruptly the day before after Kelly had called to say he was on his way to her apartment. They hadn't had a chance to talk about what had happened between them, Jay hadn't been answering her calls since then either. She felt more nervous about seeing him that day than she had about being shot at on a rooftop. She just couldn't get it straight in her mind what was going on, he'd been there for her when she needed someone most- just as he always was. She couldn't help but wonder if it was going to destroy their partnership though. Then there was Kelly, she felt awful. He was so sweet and caring, none of the complications that came with dating Jay. Kelly Severide was the perfect man for her on paper, but there was just one problem- he wasn't Jay.

She'd almost said something to Kelly the night before, but she hadn't got it in her to break his heart like that. He was already so worried about Shay, and as awful as she felt for lying to him she couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth. Instead she'd told him that she spent the night alone in her apartment, drinking beer and gone to bed early. She spent the whole time worrying that he was going to notice something was off, she didn't feel like she'd been very convincing. He hadn't though, he'd just apologised again for not being there for her- something which really wasn't helping with her guilt.

She walked in to the break room to grab a coffee before she started work, not looking where she was going as she did so. She jumped backwards as she collided with her partner, instantly feeling her cheeks flush as he looked at her. "Hey..." She said quietly, looking up at him. He smiled slightly, looking at how flushed she was. She was the total opposite of her usual composed self. "Hi..." He said eventually, trying to work out what to say to her. She was stood so close to m he could practically feel her body heat. His eyes slowly ran down her body without him realising. He couldn't help but start to think about what was under those clothes. He knew he needed to pull himself together, it as going to be a painfully long day having to work with her if not.

They were still standing there, a little too close to each other, not saying anything when Voight came out of his office. They quickly sprung apart, each heading to their own desk as they waited for Voight to start speaking. The way that Jay's eyes kept flickering over to Erin and the lingering looks between the two of them didn't go unnoticed by Voight. He tried to brush it off though, he'd told Halstead to keep it in his pants- surely he wasn't that stupid?

Jay had been doing a pretty good job of keeping himself distracted until Voight had sent him and Erin out together. They'd walked out to the car together quietly, each distracted by the thought of having to sit in a car together for hours. Erin knew it was the perfect opportunity to have the conversation they so desperately needed to have, but she was almost afraid to start it. What if he didn't want her back? What if he thought it was a stupid, drunken mistake? He'd left her apartment so quickly when he'd heard about Kelly- maybe he was grateful for the excuse to leave. There were so many different scenarios in her head she just couldn't bring herself to start the conversation.

Jay on the other hand was trying desperately to keep his mind focused on the task in hand. His eyes automatically wandering to Erin everytime he stopped making a conscious effort to look at the road ahead of him. Working with her was going to be the death of him. He'd thought it would be ok, up until the point they'd got out of the car. As he'd walked around to her side she'd dropped the keys, bending over to pick them up. He gulped slightly as she bent over infront of him, her top riding up and exposing the bare skin at the bottom of her back, the lace of her underwear just visible above the waistband of her jeans. He'd been right- it was going to be a long day.

His eyes were still lingering on her as she straightened back up. He could tell from the smirk on her face she'd caught him staring. "Let's go!" She said to him, spinning around and walking in the other direction, laughing quietly to herself as he struggled to keep up. She'd totally caught him staring at her ass just then, she could tell from his guilty expression and flushed cheeks. She was glad he was having as much trouble behaving professionally as he was. She was really going to have to work on her self control, that was for sure. She stopped outside the house they'd been looking for, so abruptly Jay had nearly walked in to the back of her. She shivered slightly as she felt his warm breath on the back of her neck. She tried to shake herself free of those thoughts. She had a job to do, she needed to act professionally- something she sure as hell couldn't do with thoughts like that floating around in her head. She was going to have to do something about this, sooner rather than later.

* * *

One again, please please do leave a review and feel free to let me know if theres anything you'd like to see happen! Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Hi guys, sorry this chapter is a little shorter than the others- i will try and make it a longer update next time. Please let me know what you think :)

* * *

Erin had made plans with Kelly that night but she couldn't deny the fact she was a little relived when he'd called to say he was going to have to work. She still hadn't managed to find the words to tell him how she was feeling. She didn't know if she was entirely sure how she felt herself. She couldn't deny the fact she had feelings for Jay, but she always had- she'd just never acted on them before. Then there was Kelly, who was kind and caring, who didn't come with all the added complications Jay did. She knew she needed to sort her head outm it wasn't fair on either of them what she was doing.

Somehow though she'd found herself agreeing to go for a drink with Jay that night, despite her resolution that whatever was going on between the two of them wouldn't go any further. She'd had a hard enough time being professional and keeping her hands off him all day at work, adding alcohol in to the mix was probably not a wise decision. She'd gone anyway though, finding herself sat across the table from Jay at Molly's. She smiled as they chatted about the day they'd had as she pretended not to notice the way Jay's hands kept wandering across the table towards her own before he would realise and place them firmly back on his side of the table.

A couple of hours, and a few too many beers, later and they were both walking back home together, laughing loudly as they walked. Her fingers were laced through his as they walked along, shoulders brushing. They reached his apartment and he kept hold of her hand, pulling her up the stairs and inside. She didn't resist at all, she'd been hoping he'd invite her in. All her willpower and self control seemed to dissolve around him. He kicked the door shut behind them, turning to face her. They were just a little too close to each other, just as they had been in the break room that morning. He could smell the alcohol on her breath as she looked at him. "We should really talk-" he started to say knowing that they couldn't just keep sleeping together and ignoring the conversation they so desperately needed to have. He was cut off though as she placed a finger on his lips, silencing him immediately.

She knew what she needed to say to him, and it scared her slightly. She'd never been good with feelings. She'd kept drinking because she knew she'd never say what she needed to say if she was totally sober. She'd spent so much time mulling over in her head what she wanted, what was the right thing to do. She finally realised that she owed it to herself to give her and Jay a chance, that she'd end up wondering what might have been if not. Her heart was thudding in her chest as she opened her mouth. "I want to be with you Jay, properly. Not just casual sex when we've had a rough day. I want to do this properly." She said looking at him intently as she waited for his response. After what seemed like an eternity he finally spoke. "I want the same-" he started, being cut off by her kissing him. He reluctantly pulled away from her to finish. "We need to talk properly if this is going to work... You need to talk to Kelly too... We aren't sneaking around behind his back..." He said, looking at her. She nodded, stepping towards him again. He stepped backward, shaking his head. "I mean it Erin, we aren't sleeping together until you talk to him." Jay said firmly, laughing quietly as Erin rolled her eyes dramatically.

Eventually, Erin had realised Jay wasn't going to budge on his decision and she'd reluctantly left his apartment. She needed to talk to Kelly, but it was late. She could hardly turn up and announce it in the middle of his shift, she wasn't about to call him or text him either. She needed to tell him face to face, she owed him that much. So instead, she found herself laying in her bed staring at the ceiling, replaying the night over and over in her mind. She was sure she was making the right decision, admitting her true feelings finally, she just wasn't looking forward to talking to Kelly. She couldn't help but feel guilty, she'd promised him there was nothing goingon between her and Jay when he'd asked her. She was going to have to go and talk to him the next day, she'd be too distracted thinking about it if not.


	5. Chapter 5

Authors Note- The finale was amazing! I can't wait for season two! I'd better be able to watch it from Australia though haha! Anyway, here's another chapter, enjoy and let me know what you think. A massive thanks to all those of you who leave me a review every update, I love reading them!

* * *

It was so much harder than Erin had imagined when she finally found herself stood in front of Kelly. She felt sick to her stomach as he stood there, looking at her expectantly. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to say, he had done the minute she'd said they needed to talk. It was never a good sign when someone said that. He was just standing there, waiting for the inevitable words to come out of Erin's mouth. He couldn't help but be a little disappointed, he'd asked her if anything was going on between her and Halstead when they'd first got together, precisely because he hadn't wanted to end up in this situation.

Eventually Erin managed to gather her thoughts long enough to string a sentence together. She'd been stood in front of him for quite some time, and every time she thought she'd gathered her words together she'd look up at Kelly and lose them all over again. "I'm sorry…" She said quietly, as he smiled sadly at her. "Me too Erin….. Halstead?" He said, looking at her as her face flushed slightly. She nodded, as he gave her a small smile. He knew he should have seen this coming, she hadn't been that convincing when she'd promised there was nothing going on between them. He'd just wanted to believe her.

Not long after Erin found herself driving back across town to her apartment. It had been so much harder than she'd imagined, but she knew she'd done the right thing. It wasn't fair on Kelly or herself to keep pretending otherwise, she'd only end up hurting him more than she already had. She'd spent too long trying to convince herself that she didn't have feelings for her partner, denying what she felt. Jay being there with her that night, when she was so vulnerable, had just made her admit what she had been suppressing for so long.

She sent Jay a text quickly as she sat on her sofa, taking a sip of her beer. There was still the worry of telling Voight about whatever it was her and Halstead had going on. She knew he wasn't going to be happy. She couldn't really tell if he was so set against the idea because he was being overprotective of her, or because he didn't like in house romances. She shuddered slightly at the thought of the conversation they were going to have to have. She'd save that for another time though, it had been bad enough having to talk to Kelly, she couldn't deal with Voight just yet.

About twenty minutes later there was a quiet knock on her door, that could only be one person. She quickly got to her feet, letting him in and walking back over to the sofa. She was glad he was there, but in a way she also wanted to be alone. She was still feeling guilty about Kelly, the sad look in his eye when she told him. He'd known straight away what she was going to say, she was obviously much more of an open book than she realised.

Jay wordlessly sat down next to her, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer to him. She rested her head gently on his shoulder, taking another sip of her beer. It was for the best, she knew that, but she still wasn't proud of what had happened. Jay could see it on her face, he knew exactly what was going on in her head, and that nothing he could say to her would help at that moment in time. So instead he just sat with her quietly, trailing his fingers gently up and down the bare skin on her arm.

Neither of them knew how long they'd been sat there in silence before Erin spoke quietly. "Thank you." She said quietly and Jay frowned slightly, confused about what she was thanking him for. She could sense his confusion from the way his body tensed slightly beside her. "For everything Jay… For all the times you've had my back…. For never prying in to my past….. For being so patient with me…." She trailed off, she'd never been good with emotions so this was difficult for her. She just felt like she needed to explain some things.

"I just…. It still amazes me how I ended up here. You know about my Mom and Dad… But things were so much worse than that…. My Dad had been locked up forever and my Mom…" She hesitated slightly, and Jay took the opportunity to interrupt her. He didn't want her to feel obliged to share this with him just because of what was going on between them. He knew she hated talking about her past. "Erin, please. You don't have to tell me this." He said quietly and she turned and looked up at him. "I want to…. You should know these things." She said quietly, giving him a small smile. He didn't say anything so she decided to carry on. "After my Dad got locked up, my Mom stopped coming home… Don't get me wrong she was hardly mother of the year before hand, but at least she was there sometimes…. Then I met this guy, Charlie…. He put food on the table and kept a roof over my head…. But he got me mixed up in all kinds of things… Things I wish I could undo…. He got me hooked on dope… and well, I guess the rest is history…." She said quietly, skimming over the finer details of the end of her story. She wasn't entirely sure he wouldn't run if he knew about some of the things she'd done during that time.

Jay was quiet for a few seconds, just thinking about what she'd said. He knew it was probably more than she'd ever told anyone about herself, and he was glad that she trusted him with it. He leant down and gently placed a kiss on her cheek. "It's ok." He whispered in to her ear as he tasted the salty tears on her cheek, the only evidence of the silent tears that had slid down her cheek as she'd told him. She'd been trying so hard to hold it together so he wouldn't notice, she should have known he'd notice- he always did. She drew in a shaky breath, turning her face in to his chest as his arms came around her. She tried to fight the fresh tears that were forming in her eyes as she felt his hands rubbing soothingly across her back. "It's ok." He said again quietly as she cried quietly. He'd always known that Erin wasn't as indestructible as she made herself out to be, it was just new to him to see this vulnerable side of her. He gently kissed the top of her head as he held her tightly, thankful that she'd finally decided to let him in.


End file.
